Column: Rube Robinson, Arkansas' winningest pitcher, was a free agent before his timeArkansas Sports Hall of Famer Rube Robinson, who was born 130 years ago today, won more professional baseball games than anyone in Arkansas history, yet it is almost impossible to find his real name in any baseball record book. Rube Robinson was born John Henry Roberson in the White County community of Floyd on Aug. 16, 1887. Although various accounts of the "baseball name" Roberson would carry throughout his career place the name error at the...

Nelson Hackett made daring slavery escapeSlavery bitterly divided North against South and neighbor against neighbor throughout the early history of the United States. While slavery was debated in legislatures, newspapers and churches, countless slaves moved to escape their bondage to a life of freedom. One such incident in the early 1840s became an international controversy, all stemming from the daring escape of one slave from Arkansas to Canada. The story began with Alfred Wallace,...

Internet sales taxOut-of-state internet sales tax The MFA is unfair. With its misleading name, the "Marketplace Fairness Act" fits the worst stereotype of politics in promising one thing and delivering the opposite. "Fairness" requires local taxes to be paid for by local businesses who benefit from the local infrastructure, such as police, fire protection, water and sewer, etc. Businesses in another state do not directly benefit from local infrastructure, and s...

The porch in afternoon: Part 1This is a love story. The characters, Will and Anabeth, are in their late 70s. It is a fictional piece based on true characters -- my Houston friend's mom and dad. The mother had been diagnosed as having "hardening of the arteries." Yet her forgetfulness and loss of reality continued to advance. Finally, a specialist at Baylor School of Medicine in the Medical Center found, after a battery of tests, its true name and its consequences. Alzheime...

William O. Darby“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible,” said Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Such words describe the life of Gen. William O. Darby, a hero of World War II and an Arkansas native. The integrity and courage of Darby was an important contribution to the American victory and the future of the U. S. Army through his efforts leading the Army Rangers. William Orlando Darby was born in 1911...

The most wonderful time of the yearIt's football season, and that means I've been busy. Each year, we visit all 12 schools in the Tri-County area for our annual high school football preview. The special section, which is actually two magazines, is 64 pages of photos, interviews and information about the upcoming season. Look for it inside The Courier on Aug. 27 -- a mere three weeks away. That said, I thought it'd be interesting to give my somewhat unfiltered opinion on each of...

Honoring our commitmentOur nation has a responsibility to honor our promise to the men and women who selflessly place themselves in harm's way. Throughout our history, that hasn't always been easy. Stories of veterans and the federal government at odds over benefits go all the way back to the demobilization of the Continental Army in the late 1700's. During the height of the Great Depression, World War I veterans gathered in Washington, D.C. to demand immediate cash...

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U.S. Sen. John BoozmanThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Good made significant contribution to scienceThe twentieth century in the United States was marked by incredible progress in science, transforming a nation of farmers spending their lives working with their animals and the strength in their hands into a technological powerhouse where electricity, computers, instantaneous communications, and high-tech machinery are indispensable to every facet of life. These achievements were due to the work of men and women in numerous fields. It was als...

A very special giftAs I sit writing, the teenagers in our church are at Senior Camp in Siloam Springs. My mind goes back 56 years ago to the time I was a counselor at Victory Bible Camp in charge of six young girls in Cabin No. 6. The main character in this true story is Sarah. I never knew her last name; I was not allowed that information. This young girl deeply touched my heart and has remained there though I only knew her for six days. She would be 66 now. I ...

Arkansas site of little-known but important battle during Civil WarThe Civil War saw battles fought across the country, from village to farm and mountain to shore. Land and naval forces fought back and forth for four long years. Though far from the ocean, Arkansas became the site of an important, though little-known, naval battle, one that would decide control of the White River. The spring of 1862 had gone badly for the Confederacy. The South was steadily falling back. Confederate forces were unable to move ...

Aquatic Center is a gem!Our new aquatic center is truly beautiful! Another reason why the River Valley is a great place to live! Thanks to the former Russellville Mayor, Bill Eaton, and new mayor Randy Horton, and everyone else who had a part! We are blessed to have so many opportunities for physical exercise, places to shop, good restaurants, art and music venues and places of worship to keep our families busy, healthy and happy! Thanks again everyone! Judy Olson Da...

History Minute: John Brown Watson“A good man is always learning,” is an old Latin Proverb. Sages and thinkers since the days of the first schools thousands of years ago have recognized the importance of education in shaping and informing the minds of students from their earliest lessons and throughout their lives. Leaders of schools and colleges play a special role in developing the culture of a learning community. One such education leader in Arkansas, John Brown Watson, bec...

Orzo Hadley: Consumed with ambitionReconstruction was a time of chaos, violence, corruption, and confusion in Arkansas. Politicians plotted against each other while lynchings and assassinations bloodied the landscape. In the midst of the intrigue, one man rose from relative obscurity in the legislature to catapult himself into the governor’s office, Ozro Hadley. Ozro Amander Hadley was born into a farming family in Chautauqua County, New York, in 1826, in the southwestern corne...

Change the lawChange the law Your article in the Sunday, June 25, 2017, edition of The Courier stated the Mainhart family was satisfied with a life sentence for the confessed killer of Lt. Kevin Mainhart rather than endure a lengthy trial and appeals process. The statement from the family to the confessed killer actually read, "We would have pushed for a death penalty conviction if we were assured the sentence would be carried out in a reasonable amount of ...

With Medicaid, state sees innovative resultsWhen it comes to government programs, oftentimes the first question many of us ask is “Are we getting what we’re paying for?” Given the significant federal and state tax burden that each of us carries that’s a reasonable question to ask. And if the answer is “no,” then it’s up to policymakers to make the necessary changes to make those programs more effective and more accountable to taxpayers. As someone who has spent considerable time working...

The real face of medicaid cuts...enough is enoughSome very important healthcare decisions are being decided at this very moment. Behind closed doors, in some clandestine location, with no direct input from the people who will be impacted the most by their decision….. America’s weakest and most vulnerable citizens. No one argues changes need to be made and positive budgets are important for our nation’s economy. It’s who and what services must pay the price and be denied life-sustaining dolla...

Tomlinson's vital role in history of American musicNot every performer who makes it to the stage will become a household name. However, there are those talents who have the good fortune to be a part of the rise of great stars and work with them as they move up. Tommy Tomlinson, an Arkansas guitar player and performer, was one such man who had a front-row seat to the beginning of an important chapter in the history of American music. Born Gerald Delmar Tomlinson, he was born into a farming fami...

Mrs. Scudder's libraryI was 13 when my school friend Bonnie, who lived out in the country, dropped by my house one June afternoon. She brought with her a book by Maureen Daly titled "Seventeenth Summer." Bonnie explained she had come from Mrs. Scudder's where no one was home and her family would be leaving for home in less than an hour. Would I mind returning this book for her? It was real good, my critic-friend told me and I should read it. I did. I started it tha...

History Minute: L. Clifford DavisThe law was used to try to push L. Clifford Davis and his family down. But Davis used the law to change the country and become one of the most respected legal minds in the country. L. Clifford Davis was born in the small community of Wilton in Little River County in the southwest corner of Arkansas in 1925. He was the youngest of seven children born to Augustus and Dora Duckett Davis. As he grew up, the Jim Crow system in place blocked his att...

Babcock never lost her passion for writingA writer opens a window to new worlds using only words. Those words can entertain for a short while, or they can change the way readers see the world, or they can even inspire others to change themselves or change their own corner of the world. Bernie Babcock, a writer perhaps not well-known to most modern readers, helped pave the way for many Arkansans in literature through her life-long love of writing and tireless efforts to create and tell...